• Name: Baldric
• Age: Early 30s
• Appearance: No you cannot see under the helmet
• Universe: Rotgrind A World In Decay
• Personality: Sedate and soft spoken, Baldric’s voice rarely ever raises up to screaming, even as the horrific monstrosities of the Rot face him. Vengeful beneath the surface he engages in his quest to “clean Outset” because the Tyrant’s guild used him as a patsy. Reliable otherwise, Baldric isn’t a bad fellow, he just prefers to be left alone
• Backstory: Framed for a crime he didn’t commit and losing status in society, Baldric took his alchemical knowledge and turned it against the elite of Outset as retribution for their actions. Upon his most recent arrest by the Tyrant’s guild he joined with a party of others and proceeded to form a band to depose the nobles.
• Powers/Abilities:
  • Sponsorship - A boon by the gods of Tyne, sponsored individuals can be raised at the nearest affiliated element with their god within moments of dying (save for major fights) ready to go. The catch however is that only the first resurrection is free, every level of resurrection adds a level of Rot into the body. Baldric is at Rot 0.
• Skills:
  • Guerilla - Baldric is an expert in keeping out of the way, you have to be to keep your attacks on the Tyrants of Tyne up
  • Alchemist - From healing potions to a variety of bombs, if it has some alchemical basis Baldric is most likely going to use it. He’s even capable of accidentally creating a necrotic bomb from trying to make cocktail sauce.
  • College Graduate - Educated and knowledgeable, Baldric is a citizen of the city and can and will use his knowledge of the society of Outset to maneuver his way to victory.
• Equipment:
  • “Armor” - An old breastplate and a bucket with an eye slit cut, Baldric is content knowing nobody in outset has ever depicted his bucket correctly.
  • Alchemical Reagents - How else does he make bombs?
• Territory/Followers: Baldric owns an apartment near the sinkhole district of outset; it serves as the Party base.

• Name: Vaali
• Age: 20s physically (Possibly older because Sky Elf)
• Appearance: Sky Pirate Extraordinaire
• Personality: Drunk, Friendly, with a desire to do backflips at every opportunity, Vaali is a hedonist on the surface, but it’s pretty clear it’s to cover up her own inner issues about being kicked from her crew and losing an airship. Vaali desires companionship and a crew, and so sticks with the Party and their goals because they’re the first people she’s connected to in awhile.
• Backstory: Kicked from her crew due to traitorous actions, Vaali took to Outset with gusto and set about making a name for herself… which landed her in prison and soon in contact with her new “Crew”. Over the course of their adventures she quickly learned of her sponsorship status in an unfortunate encounter with a Tyrant Guild war machine.
• Powers/Abilities:
  • Sponsorship - A boon by the gods of Tyne, sponsored individuals can be raised at the nearest affiliated element with their god within moments of dying (save for major fights) ready to go. The catch however is that only the first resurrection is free, every level of resurrection adds a level of Rot into the body. Vali is at Rot 2.
• Skills:
  • Swashbuckler - Sword or gun, doesn’t matter to Vaali, she’s handy with both.
  • Sky Pirate Savvy - Put her at the helm of an airship and she can fly it… so she claims
  • Captaincy - The “leader” of the party of a sort, Vaali acts as the face and is willing to use whatever social skills she has to convince people to work with her… whether or not they stay is another variety.
• Equipment:
  • Rapier
  • Cardoza Pistol - A specialized magic pistol that belonged to one Martinet Cardoza, it emits a mystic glow and can fire a concentrated beam of energy every so often, Vaali took it as a trophy because it still operates like a regular gun otherwise.
  • Hip Flask - Never leave home without it
• Territory/Followers:

• Name: Oran
• Age: 19 (The only one with a confirmed age)
• Appearance: Strix Druid
• Personality: His tone of voice would imply he’s on narcotics but that’s just how he talks. Oran is a young and naive soul, despite being a rather seasoned adventuring druid, unaware of the inherent cruelty of Outset. He’s a good soul but a bit chaotic and easily impressionable, falling in line with Tannhauser’s revolutionary fervor with little issue due said impressionability
• Backstory: A Storm Seeker Strix out looking for his friend Gorgamunder (a white dragon), Oran came to Outset looking for help, accused of a crime, locked up, and then forced to fight his way out for Entertainment, Oran has not had an easy time. Joining with the Party in a gladiatorial match to escape imprisonment, he has since followed them around as a healer and general source of youthful optimism.
• Powers/Abilities:
  • Sponsorship - A boon by the gods of Tyne, sponsored individuals can be raised at the nearest affiliated element with their god within moments of dying (save for major fights) ready to go. The catch however is that only the first resurrection is free, every level of resurrection adds a level of Rot into the body. Oran is at Rot 1.
  • Druidic Magics - Turning into animals, healing, summoning lightning, you got it
  • Flight - The wings are not just for show.
• Skills:
  • Medicine - Rudimentary it is, mostly dirt and mushed up bugs, but it works.
  • Tracking - You go hunting for your dragon friend and not have it.
  • Burst of insight - Naive he may be, Oran can sometimes hit upon a train of logic that leaves even his more learned colleagues stumped by his insight.
• Equipment:
  • Staff - Staff used for channeling magic, walking, or smacking people. Oran can cast without it but his focus is better with the staff.
• Territory/Followers:

• Name: Tannhauser
• Age: Late 30s
• Appearance: The Mechanical Man Of The Revolution
• Universe: Rotgrind
• Personality: Tannhauser absolutely refuses to speak in a whisper, he is a man of passion and REVOLUTIONARY FERVOR!! He is a man who wants to see people be better to each other, see communities serve the common good for the betterment of all, despite this he’s not naive and is well aware that the Tyrant’s guild of Outset is going to need some serious uprooting.
• Backstory: A former slave who instituted a successful revolt, Tannhauser came to Outset seeking a new life and academia, only to be beset in an “Accident” that saw most of his body replaced with powerful metallurgy, and his ire turned towards the city itself.
• Powers/Abilities:
  • Sponsorship - A boon by the gods of Tyne, sponsored individuals can be raised at the nearest affiliated element with their god within moments of dying (save for major fights) ready to go. The catch however is that only the first resurrection is free, every level of resurrection adds a level of Rot into the body. Tannhauser is at Rot 0.
  • Magus - Spell and Sword, Tannhauser can cast a variety of spells from his own internal quantum engine, including shocking grasp and teleport.
  • Nanite Surge - A temporary boost to his systems, Tannhauser will overload his body for an extra chance at victory (In the podcast it’s a once per long rest boost to a roll)
• Skills:
  • Educated - Despite first appearances, Tanny is actually very erudite and capable of talking to people on an equal level. He may not be the party face but he’s capable of salvaging any botched attempts made by Vaali, with general knowledge of the criminal underbelly of the city.
  • Revolutionary Warrior - You tend to pick up fighting prowess when instituting a revolt in the sands outside Outset
  • Crafty - From plans and stratagems to constructing a bicycle out of spare parts (yes this happened), Tannhauser is adept at adapting in a situation.
• Equipment:
  • Rapier
• Territory/Followers:

• Name: Rehua
• Age: A few months (He’s a Conrasu)
• Appearance: Often compared to a tree
• Personality: Kind and open to everyone he meets, Rehua is a ball of anarchic energy seeking to find his higher purpose in life. The party’s chief of medicine and their walking tank, Rehua tries to help everyone
• Backstory: Arrested for causing damage to a china shop, Rehua joined the Party with little other purpose, and has now found himself assisting in overthrowing criminal enterprises, running a restaurant, toppling governments, and facing Perfectite instances.
• Powers/Abilities:
  • Sponsorship - A boon by the gods of Tyne, sponsored individuals can be raised at the nearest affiliated element with their god within moments of dying (save for major fights) ready to go. The catch however is that only the first resurrection is free, every level of resurrection adds a level of Rot into the body. Rehua is at Rot 0.
  • ''Clerical Power - Rehua is a well of anarchic energy, and he channels that into healing the party and providing support in battle.
  • ''Sturdy Build - being the party Tank is like that.
• Skills:
  • ''War Domain - Despite being only a few months old, Rehua is quite a capable combatant and is more than willing to march into the thick of it to protect his friends and allies.
  • ''Medicine - More astute than Oran in terms of medical care, Rehua can bandage wounds easily without needing to expend spells for the day.
  • ''Occultist Knowledge - Whenever faced with something dealing with the arcane, the irrational, the occult, or just plain religion, Rehua has the knowledge. This seems to tie into his anarchic core but is more of a general skill.
• Equipment:
  • Mossy Mace - An item that is the only known thing that can harm the rot, a blessing of a god long since gone, the moss is the only thing the rot fears, it confers extra damage to rot creatures but sadly cannot cure his friends of their Rotten condition.
• Territory/Followers:
  • Glubtalk - A homunculus made by another alchemist, who sadly perished during an encounter with the Tyrant’s guild. Rehua has since adopted Glubtalk as an assistant. Glubtalk at best can deliver potions to allies on the field rushing around while saying "Glubtalk help!", that's pretty much it.

• Name: Sir Kronch of Legibet
• Age: 40s-50s
• Appearance: A man in heavy knight gear, his face is unseen much like Baldric. The gear is somewhat rounded but it paints the image of a top heavy and very strong individual.
• Universe: Rotgrind
• Personality: An overtly polite knight, often stammers and desires to do good, a rarity in Outset.
• Backstory: From the distant land of Legibet, Sir Kronch came to Outset on a knightly quest to serve the common good and assist the people in need, a blacksmith by trade as well, he quickly endeared himself to the party and provided assistance in numerous battles.
• Powers/Abilities: None Found
• Skills:
  • Noble Knight - He’s a knight in heavy armor, pretty straightforward
  • Blacksmith - give him materials and even enchanted scrolls and he’ll have your gear and armor outfitted and ready. He does require a proper workstation on hand.
• Equipment:
  • Armor
  • Sword and Shield
  • Blacksmithing Tools
• Territory/Followers:
  • Converted old apartment next to Baldric’s, it is currently his smithy.

• Name: Reeb Van Horn
• Age: 30s
• Appearance: Cleric/Cook/Accountant/Etc
• Universe: Rotgrind/Formerly Warhams
• Personality: The Debt Collector’s resident ball of sanity, Reeb serves as the cook, accountant, medic… well whatever the good Captain needs him to be. Despite his snark he’s a decent fellow and despite his barbs still willingly follows Zedek
• Backstory: Formerly the main form of Medicine on the Debt Collector, before its unfortunate crash into the King’s plaster. Now the main accountant of the refurbished bar.
• Powers/Abilities:
  • Cleric Magic - Being able to shoot fireballs or cast healing spells is necessary when living in Outset
• Skills:
  • Chef - Reeb is the one who cooks for the Debt Collector, though he prefers to keep it simple to Porridge.
  • Accountant - You try to not have this skill and balance Zedek’s books and debts.
• Equipment:
  • Accountant’s book - Reeb keeps track of everything that comes through the Debt Collector in this.
• Territory/Followers:
  • The Debt Collector

• Name: Captain Zedek Mascadolce
• Age: 30s-40s
• Appearance: Truly a man of Zedequette
• Universe: Rotgrind/Formerly Warhams
• Personality: A stingy miser who is a bastion of charismatic power, Zedek is a gunslinger, Sky Captain, Bar and Inn owner, and much more… all wrapped up in a visage that nobody who works for him actually respects. Zedek’s smile and veneer of civility bely a calculating individual who will look for any opportunity to strike it rich.
• Backstory: The Captain of his ill fated ship, one bad fight with his rival Ritzfist has left Zedek with quite a few significant debts he needs to repay to even get his ship fixed. To say nothing of his and Ritzfist’s mutual hatred of another airship captain, Le Coque.
• Powers/Abilities:
• Skills: Things your character can do without needing supernatural assistance i.e. martial arts, knowing how to construct things, etc.
  • Gunslinger - Zedek is a master in firearms based combat in Outset, it’s served him well and often shocks Pi with how much damage he causes.
  • Pungeon Master - Actually a skill, during moments of high stress he can crack as many bad jokes as he likes and focus his allies on a task, or more specifically on their hatred of his puns.
  • Business Acumen - Despite seeming otherwise, Zedek’s bar is successful enough to not go under, showing that he does have a sense of good business skill.
• Equipment:
  • Family Pistol - An heirloom pistol and his primary weapon.
• Territory/Followers:
  • The Debt Collector - a notable bar and inn in the King’s plaster of Outset, made out of an old warehouse and a crashed Airship (both having belonged to Zedek)

• Name: Lorn Barnes
• Age: 60s-80s
• Appearance: Him and his loyal beard Capernicus
• Universe: Rotgrind/Formerly Warhams
• Personality: For a powerful wizard, you’d think he’d be wisened and knowledgeable… you’d be vastly wrong when it comes to Lorn. Lorn is best described as chaotic, lacking in knowledge, and prone to violent outbursts, he’s the Bar’s bartender, and he will sling fireballs at you or make his beard attack should you draw his ire.
• Backstory: Formerly Zedek's mage on board his airship the Debt Collector, Lorn is the suspected cause of it going down.
• Powers/Abilities:
  • Wizard - Lorn is a well of magic power, power he frequently uses and abuses for his own personal entertainment, but if you need someone to fire a beam of high intensity energy that can melt targets, he’s your old guy.
• Skills:
  • Bartending - About the only thing Lorn knows how to do that doesn’t have to do with casting spells, even if he doesn’t know the prices.
• Equipment:
• Territory/Followers: Debt Collector Bar and Inn

• Name: Pi-Braine
• Age: Presumed 20s?
• Appearance: FOR LEMURIA
• Universe: Rotgrind/Formerly Warhams
• Personality: An automaton in the service of Zedek, violent, prone to exaggeration, and utterly loyal to Captain Zedek, Pi has few concerns in life and will take illogical steps to achieve a goal. Despite this he does take his one job (keep people from going upstairs) seriously.
• Backstory: An automata who was once part of the "Engineering team" of Zedek's airship. After it crashed Pi needed a new job, so he was made in charge of security, which largely amounted to keeping the weird ghost that hung around them away from the general populace of the bar.
• Powers/Abilities:
  • Ghost grabbing - Pi is kept because as a wrought iron automata, he is the only one capable of grabbing the ghost kept upstairs.
  • Automaton Strength - He’s a robot
• Skills:
  • The Fighter - Pi is good at one thing, causing damage, if you need him to go fight something, he will.
• Equipment: What do they have on hand?
  • Sword
• Territory/Followers: Debt Collector Bar and Inn

• Name: Zilyana Stonebloom
• Age: 20s physically (Elven biology)
• Appearance: The biggest elf
• Universe: Rotgrind/Warhams Fantasy
• Personality: Upbeat, charming, friendly, Zilyana is the most recent hire to the Debt Collector Bar and Inn and works as a waitress and general cargo carrier. Zily delights in showing off her incredible strength and greets everyone with a friendly face and a warm welcome… even if everyone else around her tells her not to.
• Backstory: Formerly a bodyguard hired out to an Elven individual named Mecurian, Zilyana eventually parted ways and needed to find a new job, and so joined the Debt Collector, it was a hell of a first day.
• Powers/Abilities:
  • Champion Skills - The Pathfinder version of a Paladin, so lay on hands, magic, etc.
• Skills:
  • Pure Strength - Zilyana is buff, and can more than easily carry the heaviest stuff around
  • Bodyguard - Zilyana has more than enough experience protecting others, fighting is second nature enough to her
  • Charming - Her upbeat nature is very disarming.
• Equipment: What do they have on hand?
  • Sword and Shield
  • Chainmail
• Territory/Followers: Debt Collector Bar and Inn

• Name: Professor Duhakas
• Age: 50s
• Appearance: A female Gargoyle with glasses
• Universe: Rotgrind
• Personality: Educated, a bit ill tempered, but well meaning. Duhakas just has one major rule, don’t refer to her by her species name.
• Backstory: Duhakas used to work for one of the major universities at Outset, until a few of her theories on the gods and the Rot got her kicked, from there she met the Party and soon was embroiled in their revolutionary antics, and was the one who got the Rot and Sponsorship theory down.
• Powers/Abilities:
  • Stone Skin - She is a gargoyle after all.
• Skills:
  • University Knowledge - She’s very educated after all
• Equipment:
  • Books - These cover a variety of topics about the world of Tyne, the city of Outset, and the Gods.
• Territory/Followers:

• Name: Mr. Illort
• Age: 30s?
• Appearance: A tall half elf individual wearing clean cut clothing, a fancy almost show style blazer, and a top hat with a checker pattern around the rim.
• Universe: Rotgrind
• Personality: A veneer of politeness and civility hiding a devious criminal mind with no care for the fires he causes.
• Backstory: Little is known about Illort or his children of the blaze, merely that it is a protection racket and those that can’t pay get burned. This extends to even caravans outside of Outset attempting to make contact with the City’s allies.
• Powers/Abilities:
  • Fire magic - Illort is a powerful mage and is quite capable of just… spawning his own fires
  • Illusionary - Nobody has ever met him in person, he feels it’s a risk to run and so he stays out of the way.
• Skills: Things your character can do without needing supernatural assistance i.e. martial arts, knowing how to construct things, etc.
  • Intimidating - He knows far more than he often lets on, has his own agenda, and is manipulative and pushy… add in that you only ever talk to an astral projection.
• Equipment:
• Territory/Followers:
  • The Children Of The Blaze - The criminal underground, a mafia like gang of firestarters that hold

• Granny Sweets - A senile old woman who runs a restaurant just called Sweets.
• Ritzfist - An orc businessman and pub owner, made out of his old airship the Rokk.
• Le Coque - Human business owner, who has a successful enterprise in her airship which is still flying. Likes to mock both Zedek and Ritzfist
• Binx and Jinx - Half Orc and Elf respectively, a duo that’s rarely seen apart from each other
• Pranz Duchelf - Criminal half elf, a douche of an elf.
• The Leg Ghost - Lives in the upper floors of the Debt Collector
• Abaser Captain - An elven member of the Tyrant Guild, who commands a Chainsaw car.
• Bremblo - Less a character and more an event that you are faced with, a 600 pound man who will ramble about portents of doom, avocado casserole, and then explode as the centipede demon controlling him returns to the plane from whence it came.

• Name of the Territory: Outset “The City of a Million Faces”
• Universe of Origin: Rotgrind
• Description:
  • Outset is the oldest city of Tyne, a massive city of a million faces, a massive city that continuously builds upwards upon Pilasters as dictated by the powers of old, causing several levels of territory, as well as an entire undercity that has since collapsed into the dirt, where old treasures lay in wait. Despite the upwards building, much of the city is also knocked down by the Architect's guild as well, thus by large the most important parts of the city are all kept on one layer, though shantytowns existing in the under layers of old and the nobility keeping themselves in glittering towers is not impossible.
  • The City is currently under the control of corrupt nobles and the Tyrant’s guild, who act as its police force and enforce their draconian laws with incredible brutality. A city of the Rot, it is a prime example of how the world of Tyne is slowly dying. The City is surrounded by a great border wall, meant to keep the City within set borders, and to keep the marshlands of the wilds of Tyne out.
• Contents/Locations:

1. Prince’s Plaster - The Center of Outset, the seat of power, crammed residences for the nobles and Governing bodies. Houses the Assembly.
2. King’s Pilaster - Home to the Merchant’s guild, the seat of business and legal disputes, banks, and general markets. Also home to the Debt Collector. Houses the Merchant’s Guild.
3. Queen’s Pilaster - The entertainment district, home to elegant tapestries, the Seamstresses’ Guild, nightly clubs, bars, brothels, and all matters of entertainment.
4. Pawn’s Pilaster - Home to Outset’s Sinkhole, it holds the appearance of an anthill and makeshift homes of the unfortunate and desperate citizens who have constructed a shantytown.
5. Baron’s Pilaster - The “prison” for Outset, those who break the archaic laws can have their case tried but must wait here, at the mercy of hunts by the Tyrant’s Guild. Home to the Tyrant’s Guild, Outset’s military and police force.
6. Knight’s Pilaster - A shining edifice of stone and metal, home to the Combat Schools and training grounds of Outset, one of the better locations for the common citizen to find themselves as it is policed by a militia made of students from the various schools, rather than at the mercy of the Tyrants.
7. Squire’s Pilaster - Home to agriculture and education, the University of Outset can be found here, as well as the Farmer’s Guild and Aquebairn’s Guild.
8. Rook’s Pilaster - Home to the Architect’s Guild, and most easily fortified pilaster, though the overburdened Pilaster could become a second sinkhole. Home to constant construction.
9. Bishop’s Pilaster - The seat of worship, home to numerous temples to the worship of any and all powers save for those mistrusted entities. Priests of each deity ministering to the faithful and providing spellcasting services to those in need.

• Specialties:
  • Complications - Belonging to an RPG-verse, should somebody in Outset roll a natural 1 in a major task, the task is in some way further complicated in any variety of ways. This can range from simple mistakes spiraling into outright disasters, or having encounters with the avocado loving abomination known as Bremblo. Any major task taken in Outset will be faced with a roll of the dice, should it hit any number other than 1, complication is avoided, should that fate not be spared, best be prepped for nearly anything to happen. Any characters from Outset traveling elsewhere will also still have to contend with complications.
  • The Rot - Buried deep beneath the great city and it’s old structures is an infestation of Rot, the rot is a malignant infection that defies all previous known laws about life, death, and undeath. Those infected with rot are not instantly doomed as those outside of Outset have ways of fighting it off, the rot has 4 stages, Stage 1 the infected is easier to wound, stage 2 the rot infection becomes more noticeable and the the infected get more defensive about their state, stage 3 the infected become irritable and hostile, while very fragile to damage, and at stage 4 the soul of whom once was is extinguished, not even leaving a mindless zombie, more a repeating old record of whom that individual once was doing illogical actions, until something not inflicted with it returns at which point all Rotten creatures target the uninfected. Rot infection thankfully isn't easy to contract, only through sponsorship or prolonged contact can the infection be spread. Simply touching it and washing one's hands will not cause it to spread, but being blasted with rot bile by an rot infected will. It has already infected many parts of Tyne itself, with numerous societies outside Tyne attempting to handle the Rot themselves in their own way. The Twang Folk of the Wilds of Tyne for instance have a way to actually beat back a Rot Infection in their people.
• Population: The city of a million faces holds (more or less) a million people. People of all races can be found, humans, elves, gargoyles, orcs, automata, etc. Hardy people who are ready to face any challenge, with the Tyrants already preparing defense for the city.
• Other Details: The city here is taken post the end of the first season of Rotgrind, but before Episode 14 when the Main cast is exploring the wilds of Tyne looking for a cure.

Name: Axonn

Age: 100,000+

Appearance: Set.◊ A heavily-built, nine-foot-tall masked biomechanical warrior clad in red and silver armor, wielding a massive axe.

Universe: BIONICLE.

Personality: Deceptively wise and intelligent despite his brutish appearance, Axonn possesses a strong sense of justice and is steadfast in his religious belief in the Great Spirit Mata Nui. Despite an outwardly zenlike, calm demeanor, he still retains some of his more brutish traits from his days as a conqueror, namely brutality in combat and an explosive temper that he channels against evildoers.

Backstory: During the early days of Mata Nui's internal world, an organization known as the Hand of Artahka was established to maintain order and protect the fledgling Matoran. Axonn was one of its founding members, but when the organization was eventually disbanded, he was left bereft of purpose and resorted to conquest, becoming one of the most feared and respected beings in the world.

Soon, though, he was approached by the newly-founded Order of Mata Nui—a secretive organization dedicated to enacting the will of Mata Nui in circumstances where the more straightforwardly heroic Toa wouldn't dare—and had many adventures before being stationed on Voya Nui alongside his friend Brutaka to protect its Matoran inhabitants in secret and act as the first line of defense for the Mask of Life. Surviving the fall of Mata Nui and the island's subsequent ejection from the robot, Axonn watched as Brutaka became disillusioned, while he himself remained steadfast in his faith.

In the canon story, he would eventually come to blows with Brutaka when his former friend sided with a band of rogue mercenaries known as the Piraka who came seeking the Mask of Life, but we're taking him from a point before this happens.

Powers/Abilities: Axonn is incredibly strong and durable, part of this owing to his biomechanical composition (see Hewkii's signup). He is said to have a variety of powers and abilities, though we'll be sticking to the ones he's shown using in canon material.

• Strength. Axonn is many times stronger than even a Toa, capable of lifting several tons with relative ease. This strength grows dramatically when he is enraged, as does his overall endurance and tolerance for pain, though not his actual durability—he may be able to shrug off injury, but he is not invulnerable to it.

• Energy Blasts. Capable of channeling energy through his hands or axe. These blasts are comprised of concussive force, heat, and light, and at their strongest can carve through solid rock.
  • Much like a Toa, doing this draws from a reserve of energy that takes some time to recharge, though of course a much larger one.

• Electricity. Capable of generating electricity channeled through his hands or axe. At its strongest, this can deliver 50,000-volt bolts of lightning.

• Healing. Capable of healing others' severe wounds and mental damage on contact, though this has limits, namely grave imminently-fatal injuries, lost limbs, or massive brain trauma.
  • This is somewhat draining, with repeated or more intensive applications of it moreso.

• Stasis Fields, localized energy fields that slow and halt the movement and internal processes of a being within his vicinity, effectively putting them in suspended animation. Those strong or resilient enough (i.e. player characters, Brutaka) can resist this or even shrug it off entirely. This power is also dependent on Axonn maintaining concentration on the individual.

• Can temporarily impart his innate powers into objects, which will release the power when struck. Being justifiably cagey and secretive, he would only use this ability for others under particularly pressing circumstances.
  • His energy blast ability could be used to create basically an impact grenade by putting it into a rock or something, likewise for his electricity. This is entirely expended after one blast, and the stored power fades with time besides (let's say a few hours).
  • Likewise, his stasis field ability would create a weak, temporary 3-to-5-minute field when the object strikes something/someone.
  • Healing would work similarly, with a brief but reasonably strong burst of healing power into whoever it strikes.

• Telepathic Shielding. As a member of the Order of Mata Nui, Axonn has been trained to resist telepathy and mental assault.

• The ability to wear and use masks of power, aka Kanohi, which can temporarily grant new powers or augment existing abilities. Unlike a Toa or Matoran, he is not weakened by their absence.

Skills: Axonn is a skilled and unrelentingly brutal warrior, adept in the use of his axe and general melee combat owing to both his past and Order of Mata Nui training. Also possesses some considerable technical aptitude, and due to his life experiences is incredibly knowledgeable about the history of his world.

Equipment:

• Wears the Rode, Great Kanohi of Truth. When activated via concentration, it allows Axonn to see through illusions, discern truth from lies (provided the subject knows they're lying), as well as see spirits and those who are astral projecting. It also allows him to see those using cloaking devices or invisibility powers.
  • As its power only works when Axonn consciously activates it—and thus already has reason to suspect he's being deceived or someone is hiding from him—this presents one considerable downside.
  • Its use is signified by a soft glow persisting as long as he maintains concentration.

• The Giant Axe, a large double-sided protosteel axe that can return to Axonn when thrown (think Mjolnir). Sharp enough to cut through most materials including stone and hardened steel, can be used to channel his energy powers.

Territory/Followers: Voya Nui

Age: 100,000+

Appearance: Set.◊ A lithe, ten-foot-tall masked biomechanical warrior clad in gold and blue armor, wielding a double-bladed swordlike weapon, with a pair of daggers in articulated scabbards stowed on his back.

Universe: BIONICLE.

Personality: Stoic and highly intelligent with a keen analytical insight and poetic bent, Brutaka is regarded as something of a scholar, though it was this insight that later lead him to conclude that Mata Nui had abandoned his people. Has something of a twisted sense of humor and shades of a darker side that show themselves on occasion, namely in his penchant for scheming and manipulation—arriving on the Frontiers has not helped this tendency in the least. His primary goal is to incite a conflict that he'll come out on top of, empowered to face whatever being is responsible for plucking the island of Voya Nui from its universe.

Backstory: Brutaka originally served as a lieutenant and soldier within the ranks of the Brotherhood of Makuta before their villainous pivot, though he later chafed against the regimented lifestyle and left the organization, later being recruited into the Order of Mata Nui.

After a series of adventures (at least one of which involved teleporting kaiju into population centers), he and his friend Axonn were eventually stationed on Voya Nui to protect its Matoran inhabitants in secret and act as the first line of defense for the Mask of Life. Surviving the fall of Mata Nui and the island's subsequent ejection from the robot, Brutaka eventually came to believe that the comatose Mata Nui had abandoned them, but nevertheless continued in his duties, his heart no longer fully in it.

In the canon story, Brutaka would then align himself with a gang of renegade mercenaries known as the Piraka who came to the island seeking the Mask of Life (and end up clashing with Toa heroes including Hewkii), but we're taking him from a point before this happens.

Powers/Abilities: Brutaka is incredibly strong and durable, part of this owing to his biomechanical composition (see Hewkii's signup). He is said to have a variety of powers and abilities, though we'll be sticking to the ones he's shown using in canon material.

• Strength. Though not quite as strong as Axonn (and without the ability to feed this strength with anger), he too is vastly stronger than a Toa, capable of lifting several tons.

• Energy Blasts. Capable of channeling energy through his hands or blade. These blasts are comprised of concussive force, heat, and light, and at their strongest can carve through solid rock. These take a narrower, more bladelike form than Axonn's and more used in the capacity of a Zelda-style Sword Beam.
  • Much like a Toa, doing this draws from a reserve of energy that takes some time to recharge, though of course a much larger one.

• Telepathic Shielding. As a member of the Order of Mata Nui, Brutaka has been trained to resist telepathy and mental assault.

• The ability to wear and use masks of power, aka Kanohi, which can temporarily grant new powers or augment existing abilities. Unlike a Toa or Matoran, he is not weakened by their absence.

Skills: Brutaka is a skilled, agile warrior and adept swordsman owing to his past as well as Order of Mata Nui training, which itself fosters a keen sense of pragmatism in combat that Brutaka is more willing than most to utilize, making liberal use of his mask in particular. Much like Axonn, he possesses great knowledge about the history of his world and is a quick learner due to his scholarly disposition.

Equipment:

• Wears the Olmak, Great Kanohi of dimensional gates that allows him to create interdimensional or interlocational portals anywhere within his immediate vicinity, to pretty much anywhere.
  • For the purposes of the RP, however, this will receive a fairly obvious major nerf: It can no longer create portals between dimensions, instead limited to locations within the one he currently inhabits, and with a full set of rules and limitations detailed thusly:
    • Appearing like a straightforward hole in reality leading directly to the other end, portals are oval-shaped (think Portal), varying in height from around 3 feet to 10 as the mask user dictates it. They preserve momentum, are air and fluid-permeable, and do not compensate for pressure differentials—for example, portaling into deep ocean will unleash a torrent of water, while portaling into a vacuum will pull air through. They are one-sided, facing whichever direction or sitting in whatever orientation the user wills, allow transit into or out of either one, and are strictly limited in number to one pair at a time.
    • The singular 'entrance' portal can be anywhere unobstructed within the vicinity of the user (around 15 feet), while the singular 'exit' can be anywhere unobstructed within direct line of sight of 10-to-30 miles (more than 10 requiring greater concentration to create or hold open) or anywhere the user remembers being or otherwise has a crystal-clear mental picture of, provided the location hasn't moved or changed significantly since then. As this basically creates a shortcut through reality, it can bypass physical or energy-based shielding that might block more straightforward transmission- or signal-based forms of teleportation, though magical means are still on the table.
    • Both portals vanish when the user wills it, when the mask is removed, or when their concentration is broken, appearing to rapidly shrink down to nothing. If there's something partway through a portal then it will begin to shrink somewhat slower, eventually cutting through the obstruction, whatever it might be, before disappearing. This is just slow enough for anyone caught to notice and extricate themselves provided they're able, and because of this, it's not a reliable combat strategy against mobile opponents and is too needlessly cruel for Brutaka in particular anyway, though he may still threaten to do it against foes who don't know that. Portal edges also emit a repelling force, acting somewhat like a solid 'ring' and preventing things from intersecting them from the sides or hitting the inner edge. If this barrier is overcome (taking a great deal of force itself, for instance a rockslide or a truck ramming into it, or even a foe hitting it), the portal closes.
    • If the user is in pain or otherwise under circumstances that make concentrating problematic, use of the mask becomes far more difficult if not impossible, especially things like holding portals open for prolonged periods (more than about 3 minutes), creating them in rapid succession, or across vast distances—things that can be difficult even under ideal circumstances, causing some mental strain if done too often too quickly.
    • If the mask itself is damaged, as in severely chipped or cracked, created portals will become erratic, occasionally opening to random locations. Will cease functioning entirely if it is outright broken or shattered.
    • Its use is signified by a soft glow/shimmer from the mask, persisting as long as it is in use.

• The Rotating Blades, a large double-bladed Protosteel weapon named for Brutaka's ability to twirl it for offense or defense. Wickedly sharp and with much the same cutting power as Axonn's axe, it was given to him by Axonn as a gift.
  • Capable of emitting a powerful incapacitating electric shock if anyone other than him tries to grab it. Can also be activated by Brutaka himself offensively, usually to break a Blade Lock or add some punch to a stab or slash.

• A pair of Protosteel Throwing Daggers, stowed in articulated mechanical scabbards on his back.

Territory/Followers: Voya Nui

Age: Never specified, but implicity at least 5,000.

Appearance: His toy form◊ provides a general baseline, bearing in mind that the canon character isn't made of LEGO pieces. In short, he is a scraggly, vaguely humanoid black-armored biomechanical being clocking in at around three feet tall, wearing a mask on his face and wielding two bladed weapons.

Universe: BIONICLE.

Personality: Quick-witted and adept at thinking on his feet, Garan is determined almost to a fault and feels a strong sense of kinship with his fellow Matoran.

Backstory: Thousands of years ago, Garan was severely injured and sent from his former homeland to the realm of Karzhani to be repaired, only for its namesake mad ruler to botch the job and send him, along with a number of others, away to the remote wasteland of Voya Nui in order to hide his failures, though not without equipping them with weapons with which to protect themselves.

He and his fellow Matoran eked out an existance in this place, until the day Mata Nui was struck down and they found themselves ejected from his internal world in a great cataclysm, the now-island coming to rest on an endless ocean. The Turaga elder Jovan (himself having belonged to the first team of Toa who sought and used the Mask of Life) who'd come to preside over the Matoran was killed in this incident, leaving them to fend for themselves for the next 1,000 years.

Powers/Abilities: Garan himself is near-powerless, but owing to his biomechanical composition he possesses physical capabilities on the level of a particularly athletic human despite his ramshackle appearance, as well as the durability that this implies—handgun fire will bounce off, and an unpowered organic being would only break their hand were they to take a swing at him.

• Like all Onu-Matoran (i.e. Matoran of the element Earth), he possesses limited night vision that enables him to see clearly in low light, but not deep or absolute darkness.

• Were he to somehow become a Toa, he would gain everything this implies, in particular the elemental power of Earth (see Hewkii's signup for a rundown of how Toa powers work). This entails creating, controlling, and absorbing dirt and soil (Protodermis or otherwise), and manipulating the ground to create localized earthquakes and open chasms.

Skills: Garan is a highly intelligent leader and keen strategic thinker, harboring little fear of foes larger and more physically powerful than himself—he's also adept at spotting and exploiting weaknesses in them. Is a skilled survivalist like all his fellows.

Equipment:

• Pulse Bolt Generators, a pair of bladed weapons that when crossed fire a bolt of concussive force that grows in strength (from a minimum of 'sledgehamer blow from a carnival strongman' to a maximum of 'bundle of dynamite') the farther it travels, to a maximum of 80-to-100 feet before fizzling out, lower if it blasts through things in its path.
  • Can be used as a makeshift digging tool, blasting away rock and dirt. Garan often uses this to find drinkable water.

• Wears a powerless Ruru, Kanohi of Night Vision. Like all Matoran he requires a Kanohi mask, and will grow weaker and eventually slip into a coma if it is removed; cannot access the powers of Great (powered) Kanohi like Toa can.
  • Were he to somehow become a Toa, this mask would become powered, granting him full night vision, limited x-ray vision, and the ability to cast beams of light that can temporarily blind or disorient opponents.

Territory/Followers: Voya Nui, its Matoran population.

Age: Never specified, but implicity at least 5,000.

Appearance: His toy form◊ provides a general baseline, bearing in mind that the canon character isn't made of LEGO pieces. In short, he is a scraggly, vaguely humanoid red-armored biomechanical being clocking in at around three feet tall, wearing a mask on his face and wielding two bladed weapons.

Universe: BIONICLE.

Personality: Naturally curious, always tinkering and building, and brave to a fault even in the face of mortal peril and insurmountable odds. A close friend and second-in-command of Garan's.

Backstory: Thousands of years ago, Balta was severely injured and sent from his former homeland to the realm of Karzhani to be repaired, only for its namesake mad ruler to botch the job and send him, along with a number of others, away to the remote wasteland of Voya Nui in order to hide his failures, though not without equipping them with weapons with which to protect themselves.

He and his fellow Matoran eked out an existance in this place, until the day Mata Nui was struck down and they found themselves ejected from his internal world in a great cataclysm, the now-island coming to rest on an endless ocean. The Turaga elder Jovan (himself having belonged to the first team of Toa who sought and used the Mask of Life) who'd come to preside over the Matoran was killed in this incident, leaving them to fend for themselves for the next 1,000 years.

Powers/Abilities: Balta himself is near-powerless, but owing to his biomechanical composition he possesses physical capabilities on the level of a particularly athletic human despite his ramshackle appearance, as well as the durability that this implies—handgun fire will bounce off, and an unpowered organic being would only break their hand were they to take a swing at him.

• Like all Ta-Matoran (i.e. Matoran of the element Fire), he is resistant to heat and flame, capable of hanging around molten lava with little issue—though a dip in it would be fatal just the same.

• Were he to somehow become a Toa, he would gain everything this implies, in particular the elemental power of Fire (see Hewkii's signup for a rundown of how Toa powers work). This entails the ability to create, control, and absorb heat and flame—basically firebending. Heating things up, cooling them down by pulling heat out, wielding flames that can melt rock and steel, etc.

Skills: Balta is a highly-intelligent inventor and skilled craftsman capable of improvising weapons and tools out of whatever scraps he might have at hand, as well as figuring out how even foreign technology works and repairing or replicating it. Has a preference for small, practical devices. Is a skilled survivalist like all his fellows.

Equipment:

• Repellers, a pair of bladed weapons that when crossed deflect enemy attacks back at them with equal force, i.e. energy attacks like lasers and blasts are reflected, lightning arcs back around, and physical blows bounce back. This has a fairly high upper limit, though anyone attacking a Matoran isn't likely to reach this—they won't deflect a nuke or an orbital laser strike or anything like that.

• Wears a powerless Huna, Kanohi of Invisibility.
  • Were he to somehow become a Toa, this mask would become powered, granting him the ability to become invisible or render any object he's holding invisible (though retaining a shadow, and still displacing things like water and dust in the air) for as long as he maintained concentration.
    • Those with a Kanohi Rode, ESP, or sonar abilities would be able to detect him, while those with x-ray vision wouldn't—basically, nothing optical.

Territory/Followers: Voya Nui.

Age: Never specified, but implicity at least 5,000.

Appearance: Her toy form◊ provides a general baseline, bearing in mind that the canon character isn't made of LEGO pieces. In short, she is a scraggly, vaguely humanoid blue-armored biomechanical being clocking in at around three feet tall, wearing a mask on her face and wielding two bladed weapons.

Universe: BIONICLE.

Personality: Brusque and outgoing, Dalu's demeanor runs in sharp contrast to the stereotypical calm and gentle Ga-Matoran demeanor. Though brave and loyal to her friends, she's unafraid of speaking her mind and questioning the decisions of others, with a foul temper to boot.

Backstory: Thousands of years ago, Dalu was severely injured and sent from her former homeland to the realm of Karzhani to be repaired, only for its namesake mad ruler to botch the job and send her, along with a number of others, away to the remote wasteland of Voya Nui in order to hide his failures, though not without equipping them with weapons with which to protect themselves.

She and her fellow Matoran eked out an existance in this place, until the day Mata Nui was struck down and they found themselves ejected from his internal world in a great cataclysm, the now-island coming to rest on an endless ocean. The Turaga elder Jovan (himself having belonged to the first team of Toa who sought and used the Mask of Life) who'd come to preside over the Matoran was killed in this incident, leaving them to fend for themselves for the next 1,000 years.

Powers/Abilities: Dalu herself is near-powerless, but owing to her biomechanical composition she possesses physical capabilities on the level of a particularly athletic human despite her ramshackle appearance, as well as the durability that this implies—handgun fire will bounce off, and an unpowered organic being would only break their hand were they to take a swing at her.

• Like all Ga-Matoran (i.e. Matoran of the element Water), she is an adept swimmer and capable of holding her breath for prolonged periods.

• Were she to somehow become a Toa, she would gain everything this implies, in particular the elemental power of Water (see Hewkii's signup for a rundown of how Toa powers work). This entails control over water—basically waterbending. Creating, controlling, and absorbing water (H20 or Protodermis), manipulating the flow of water, pulling the moisture out of things, generating localized rain, creating storms in tandem with a Toa of Air, etc.

Skills: Dalu is an adept fighter who has little issue resorting to pragmatic cheap shots, especially when up against powerful opponents, not to mention possessing survivalist skills like all her fellows.

Equipment:

• Chargers, a pair of bladed weapons that when crossed fire a bolt of energy that temporarily enhances one of her target's attributes of her choosing, and to a level of her choosing, be it a sense or a physical ability, for around three-to-five minutes.
  • This can be used offensively to increase her opponents' senses beyond tolerable levels (e.g. super-sensitive hearing such that every little sound is deafening) or physical abilities beyond what the target can handle (super-speed faster than they can react). She does not hesitate to use them in this fashion, and takes full advantage of the fact that they don't grant Required Secondary Powers.
  • The level has a pretty hard limit, by way of the fact that using the Chargers (especially repeatedly) drains her energy by a corresponding amount: enabling someone to leap a 15-foot chasm will leave her woozy, whereas giving someone multiple-bus-lifting super strength will knock her unconscious or even leave her near-death.

• Wears a powerless Rau, Kanohi of Translation.
  • Were she to somehow become a Toa, this mask would become powered, granting her the ability to understand and communicate in any language spoken or written as long as she maintained concentration. This effect would be an automatic sort of deal, thus she wouldn't retain the knowledge.

Territory/Followers: Voya Nui.

Age: Never specified, but implicity at least 5,000.

Appearance: His toy form◊ provides a general baseline, bearing in mind that the canon character isn't made of LEGO pieces. In short, he is a scraggly, vaguely humanoid white-armored biomechanical being clocking in at around three feet tall, wearing a mask on his face and wielding two pronged forklike weapons.

Universe: BIONICLE.

Personality: As is typical of Ko-Matoran, Kazi is quiet and reserved. A tad pessimistic, he sees himself as a realist first and foremost and easily becomes annoyed with the eccentricities of others, prone to snide remarks.

Backstory: Thousands of years ago, Kazi was severely injured and sent from his former homeland to the realm of Karzhani to be repaired, only for its namesake mad ruler to botch the job and send him, along with a number of others, away to the remote wasteland of Voya Nui in order to hide his failures, though not without equipping them with weapons with which to protect themselves.

He and his fellow Matoran eked out an existance in this place, until the day Mata Nui was struck down and they found themselves ejected from his internal world in a great cataclysm, the now-island coming to rest on an endless ocean. The Turaga elder Jovan (himself having belonged to the first team of Toa who sought and used the Mask of Life) who'd come to preside over the Matoran was killed in this incident, leaving them to fend for themselves for the next 1,000 years.

Powers/Abilities: Kazi himself is near-powerless, but owing to his biomechanical composition he possesses physical capabilities on the level of a particularly athletic human despite his ramshackle appearance, as well as the durability that this implies—handgun fire will bounce off, and an unpowered organic being would only break their hand were they to take a swing at him.

• Like all Ko-Matoran (i.e. Matoran of the element Ice), he is highly resistant to frigid temperatures.

• Were he to somehow become a Toa, he would gain everything this implies, in particular the elemental power of Ice (see Hewkii's signup for a rundown of how Toa powers work). This entails control over ice and cold—creating, controlling, and absorbing ice (H20 or Protodermis, possibly things like dry ice), freezing things, and generating localized snowy weather.

Skills: Like all Matoran of Voya Nui, Kazi is an adept survivalist. Is the only Matoran on the island to know of Axonn's existence, owing to an incident in the past.

Equipment:

• Echo Forks, a pair of tine-like weapons that can generate destructively concussive directed sound waves when slammed together, capable of shattering rock and severely staggering opponents, not to mention temporarily deafening them.

• Wears a powerless Matatu, Kanohi of Telekinesis, outfitted with a scope over its left eye that allows him to zoom in on distant things.
  • Were he to somehow become a Toa, this mask would become powered, granting him the ability to telekinetically move targets within his view as long as he maintained concentration, becoming more difficult the heavier the object was or the more of them he'd try to lift, with a cumulative effect—he could lift an SUV with effort, but adding another would make this exponentially more difficult.
    • Couldn't lift himself with it, but could theoretically lift an object he's standing on to effectively fly for as long as his concentration holds.

Territory/Followers: Voya Nui.

Age: Never specified, but implicity at least 5,000.

Appearance: His toy form◊ provides a general baseline, bearing in mind that the canon character isn't made of LEGO pieces. In short, he is a scraggly, vaguely humanoid green-armored biomechanical being clocking in at around three feet tall, wearing a mask on his face and possessing prominent claws.

Universe: BIONICLE.

Personality: Piruk is shy and anxious (with a habit of sharpening his claws when nervous) and can be somewhat cowardly, but is nevertheless steadfastly loyal to his friends, and vastly more capable than he gives himself credit for, going to great lengths to help and protect allies when pushed.

Backstory: Thousands of years ago, Piruk was severely injured and sent from his former homeland to the realm of Karzhani to be repaired, only for its namesake mad ruler to botch the job and send him, along with a number of others, away to the remote wasteland of Voya Nui in order to hide his failures, though not without equipping them with weapons with which to protect themselves.

He and his fellow Matoran eked out an existance in this place, until the day Mata Nui was struck down and they found themselves ejected from his internal world in a great cataclysm, the now-island coming to rest on an endless ocean. The Turaga elder Jovan (himself having belonged to the first team of Toa who sought and used the Mask of Life) who'd come to preside over the Matoran was killed in this incident, leaving them to fend for themselves for the next 1,000 years.

Powers/Abilities: Piruk himself is near-powerless, but owing to his biomechanical composition he possesses physical capabilities on the level of a particularly athletic human despite his ramshackle appearance, as well as the durability that this implies—handgun fire will bounce off, and an unpowered organic being would only break their hand were they to take a swing at him.

• Like all Le-Matoran (i.e. Matoran of the element Air), he has a keen sense of balance and is quick on his feet.

• Were he to somehow become a Toa, he would gain everything this implies, in particular the elemental power of Air (see Hewkii's signup for a rundown of how Toa powers work). This entails control over air and wind—creating, controlling, and absorbing air, manipulating wind currents, creating localized cyclones, controlling air pressure (including removing it outright to create a vacuum), as well as flying with some effort, though not particularly high or fast.

Skills: Piruk is quick, agile, and adept at spying, in addition to the survivalist skills that all his fellows possess.

Equipment:

• Shredder Claws, a pair of claw weapons sharp enough to carve steel with ease. Built into his hands and cannot be removed.

• Wears a powerless Mahiki, Kanohi of Illusion.
  • Were he to somehow become a Toa, this mask would become powered, granting him the ability to create localized visual illusions and shapeshift under a limited basis while maintaining concentration.
  • This shapeshifting would be primarily visual and would not copy powers or abilities, though he would be able to mimic voices. Couldn't take a form larger or smaller than himself, nor could he access this ability while generating illusions or vice-versa.
  • The illusions would be strictly optical, and those using a Rode or any sort of ESP would be able to see through them.

Territory/Followers: Voya Nui.

Age: 100,000+

Appearance: Set.◊ A roughly eight-foot-tall masked biomechanical warrior clad in green and yellow armor, wielding a double-ended bladed staff and possessing skate-like wheels built into his feet.

Universe: BIONICLE.

Personality: Cold, detached, and single-mindedly dedicated to guarding the path to the Ignika at all costs. Irrespective of the intent of those seeking the mask, all must prove their worth by besting him in combat before proceeding.

Will only leave his chamber if the Ignika is somehow permanently relocated or he is unable to stay, and is thus no threat to anyone who isn't actively seeking the mask.

Backstory: Created by the Great Beings as one of many safeguards to protect the Ignika, Umbra was stationed on the 777 steps beneath Voya Nui during the construction of Mata Nui's internal environment, where he remains steadfast and unyielding in his duty.

Powers/Abilities: As is typical of biomechanical beings of his universe, Umbra is more durable and significantly stronger than a baseline human (see Hewkii's signup), and also possesses several special abilities.

• Elemental Light powers, though nowhere near the breadth or power of a proper Toa of Light:
  • Lasers, focused through his weapon. Capable of burning and cutting things as one would expect, up to and including hardened steel if sustained.

  • Changing colors. Capable of altering the apparent color of his armor by bending light around himself.

  • Turning into a beam of light. Capable of cutting and burning much like his lasers (effectively turning into a Star Wars blaster bolt, in summation), telegraphed by his body briefly shimmering.
    • Cannot steer or change direction in this state, becomes massively disoriented and reverts if he is repeatedly reflected between surfaces.
• Self-Sufficiency. Does not require sustenance, air, sleep, or heat to survive.

Skills: Incredibly swift and agile with split-second reflexes, Umbra is a skilled fighter adept in the use of his staff and skates, utilizing hit-and-run tactics to disarm and/or kill without hesitation.

Equipment:

• Laser Lance, a double-ended bladed staff with a mounted Rhotuka Launcher in the middle.
  • Rhotuka Spinners are rotor-like wheels of energy materialized with and fired from special launchers, and carry special powers.

  • Most biomechanical beings from Umbra's universe (and possibly beings from other universes) have the ability to create Rhotuka with the aid of said launchers, and each has a different power dictated by the user's personality, or element if any.

  • Umbra's create temporary hard-light projections such as walls and spikes wherever they hit (think Green Lantern, though nowhere near as versatile or powerful).

• Skates built into his feet, allowing him to move incredibly fast (subsonic, think low-level speedster), as well as on walls and ceilings if he's moving at speed.

• Wears a powerless Ruru, Kanohi of Night Vision (or Kanohi forged in the shape of one, at any rate). Decorative, as he does not need them like Matoran or Toa do, likely claimed from a fallen opponent.

Territory/Followers: Voya Nui

Name: The Kanohi Ignika, aka the Mask of Life

Age: 100,000+

Appearance: A finely-crafted, brilliantly golden metallic mask.◊

Universe: BIONICLE.

Personality: The mask possesses a consciousness, innocent and simplistic but curious, with a rudimentary childlike sense of morality. It has a strong sense of self-preservation and will act out if it believes itself to be in danger. Doesn't fully understand its own powers.

Backstory: During the construction of the massive planet-hopping robot Mata Nui, the Ignika was built by the enigmatic Great Beings as a contingency in case Mata Nui were to be injured or fall ill, whereupon it would be used by a chosen wearer to restore him to health at the cost of their own life.

Within Mata Nui's internal environment, it was placed deep beneath the land that would become Voya Nui, where it would sit until its power was needed. As of the time in canon that it's been taken from, this has happened at least once, when Mata Nui was greatly weakened by his Matoran people ceasing their work to war amongst themselves, requiring a team of Toa heroes to seek out the mask, whereupon one of their number sacrificed himself to restore Mata Nui to health.

After this, it would be returned to its chamber where it sat for centuries until, after Voya Nui was jettisoned from Mata Nui's body, it chose a guardian in the newly-formed Vezon, who was compelled to seek it out and then found himself fused to it, laying in wait for anyone else who would come seeking the mask.

Powers/Abilities:

The mask has a plethora of powers at its disposal, most relating in some way to the forces of life and death. Like any Kanohi, it can be worn by any being it allows to wear it, and its powers called upon with concentration.

• Shapeshifting. The mask can change its own design. This is primarily cosmetic, and it will always remain gold.

• Levitation. When not stuck to Vezon, it can move and fly under its own power, though not particularly fast (slightly above average human running speed), and only with enough force to move itself. Won't leave its chamber unless taken or otherwise forced, however.

• Low-level Telepathy. Can communicate telepathically with beings. Cannot read minds.

• Far Sight and Projection. Though starting out confined to its chamber and stuck to Vezon, the mask possesses an awareness of the world beyond and can, in a limited fashion, use its telepathy and project illusory manifestations of itself to beings.
  • It is not omniscient and as such cannot focus on multiple things at once.

  • Deviating from canon, it cannot fully exert its other powers beyond its immediate surroundings.

• Curses. When a being who is not the Ignika's chosen bearer touches it or tries to wear it, it inflicts a curse upon them. Curses vary in their specific effects but only last as long as the cursed being maintains contact with the mask. These generally partain to life and living things in some way. Examples include but are not limited to:
  • Nearby plants growing out of control.

  • Uncontrollably drain the lifeforce of those nearby.

  • Unable to kill any organism.

  • Inanimate objects nearby coming to life and crying out.

  • Heightening negative personality traits, such as anger.

• Rapid Aging. It can accelerate or reverse the aging of beings in its vicinity, especially if it feels threatened. The effect wears off once the afflicted being is no longer within the mask's vicinity, or the mask wills it.

• Lifeforce Drain. Functions similarly, in accordance with however lifeforce or vital energies or Ki work in the being's home universe. It's generally assumed that this energy regenerates on its own anyway.

• Transformation. It can alter the physical form of a being in its vicinity, be it devolving them (e.g. turning a Toa back into a Matoran or vice versa if they're destined) or changing them into an entirely new form (as it did with Hewkii and his team, or changing the Matoran Dekar into a copy of the deceased jailer Hydraxon). As a nerfing measure, this may be resisted and/or wear off after a time out of the mask's vicinity.
  • If it feels the need, it can and will use this ability to create guardians for itself out of random nearby animals and NPC people, as it did several times in canon.

  • Relatedly, it can also grant various powers that wear off after a time, usually a few days. This may be considered a lesser sub-ability.

• Body Creation. The mask can create an ambulatory physical body for itself out of microbes and organic ditritus—in canon, after the point in time it's been taken from, it only did this after being inspired by the sacrifice of one of its Toa users and wanted to see what it felt like to be a hero like them. Not something it would just randomly do unprompted.
  • The mask is drastically weakened when it does this, due to the effort required to maintain a body.

  • The body itself possesses no special powers beyond what the mask itself can do, but can take a variety of forms. In canon, it took the shape of a Toa (see Hewkii's signup) and later a Glatorian (the primarily organic beings that inspired the Toa in-universe) but could in theory be anything roughly human-sized.

• Healing and Resurrection. When worn by an individual it chooses as its bearer, it grants them the ability to heal even the gravest injuries in others, and even resurrect the recently-deceased, though these both come at the cost of the wearer's own life energies, with the latter killing them outright due to the power that resurrection requires. Resurrecting larger or more powerful beings will require that the user's body be consumed as well.
  • Unlike other Kanohi, and in somewhat of a departure from canon, it can be worn and used by any being it chooses, not just biomechanical beings from its universe. because life powers or something

Skills: N/A

Equipment: N/A

Territory/Followers: Voya Nui, its own guardians.

Name: Vezon

Age: Less than one year. At least several thousand if one counts his remembered life experiences as Vezok.

Appearance: Comic appearance.◊ A roughly 7-foot-tall biomechanical being appearing scraggly and emaciated, clad in a black-and-silver armor with a tattered fabric cape overtop and bearing a mouthful of large, sharp teeth that gleam white. Wields a wicked-looking bladed spear.

His feet are, at this point, firmly attached to the back of a massive, four-legged spiderlike creature, also pictured.

Universe: BIONICLE.

Personality: As only half of a complete being, Vezon is massively unbalanced, and although he can often be absentminded and prone to launching off on bizarre tangents, he is incredibly cruel and will resort to murder and violence at the drop of a hat, often for little clear reason. Is possessive of the Ignika and will fight bitterly to protect it, but simultaneously resents it—in addition, the mask itself isn't terribly fond of him and he canonically doesn't take this revelation well when made aware of it.

Backstory: Once belonging to the Dark Hunters, a feared mercenary group, a rogue band of Skakdi criminals calling themselves the Piraka struck out on their own and journeyed to Voya Nui, happening across one of Makuta's old lairs on their way, where they discovered a spear capable of splitting or fusing beings together. A misfire resulted in one of their number, Vezok, being struck and split into two beings, one of whom was dubbed Vezon after the Matoran word for 'double'. This being promptly stole the spear and abandoned the group, compelled to seek the Ignika on his own.

Arriving on Voya Nui before the others, Vezon soon discovered the route to the Ignika's chamber and made his way down to it unimpeded, having been deemed one of its chosen guardians. Here, he tried to take the mask but instead suddenly found it fused to the back of his head, and himself stuck to the back of the massive spider-like Fenrakk. From then on, he lay in wait for anyone to come and try to take the mask.

Powers/Abilities: As a biomechanical being, Vezon is more strong and durable than a baseline human (see Hewkii's signup), but nowhere the strength of a Toa. Though he possesses no natural powers of his own like most Skakdi do—an elemental power, an optical blast of some kind, and a third miscellaneous power/ability—being that Vezok got those in their split, he does possess some powers granted to him by the Ignika (though it must be noted that he is not actually 'wearing' the mask and thus cannot actively use it), which he will of course lose if the mask is removed:

• Kinetic Force Absorption. When physically struck (as in, punched or hit by an object or shot, etc), Vezon absorbs the kinetic force of the impact and becomes stronger and more durable according to how hard he was hit. This makes him largely impervious to this kind of attack, though the power it grants him wears off after a few minutes.
  • He is still vulnerable to energy attacks and in general anything that doesn't involve direct physical impact. Can still be immobilized, incapacitated, or killed by any other means.

• In canon, Vezon is able to see the future on a limited basis. However, this may be nerfed into merely partially sharing the Ignika's Far Sight.

• Attachment to Fenrakk. Vezon's feet are permanently (at least until the Ignika decides to release them or it is taken) attached to the back of a massive spider-like creature.
  • Fenrakk possesses acidic saliva, sharp teeth, blade-like legs, massive strength, and also shares Vezon's Kinetic Force Absorption—for the purposes of this power, they are one in the same. He would not retain this ability if they were separated.

  • If Fenrakk is defeated, the Ignika may transform him into Kardas, a massive winged dragon-like creature clocking in at around 20 feet tall. Though he loses the kinetic force absorption ability, he retains the strength, sharp teeth and claws of his Fenrakk form and gains flight thanks to his wings (approximate top speed of 120 mph).
    • In addition to this, he now constantly generates concussive force within his body that must be periodically released in the form of a breath weapon, varying in strength depending on how much has been accumulated. At its strongest, it can shatter solid rock and send the strongest warriors flying. Holding this force in for too long will cause it to erupt out and severely injure or kill Kardas.

Skills: Though insane, Vezon is a keen tactician and capable of surprisingly sophisticated planning, having taken this ability from Vezok, whose memories he also retains. His mental state may often impede this, however, and make him appear clownish, but he is nevertheless not to be underestimated.

Equipment:

• Spear of Fusion. A spear-like weapon capable of fusing together or splitting objects/beings in half, by way of a bolt of energy fired from its tip. This bolt can of course be blocked (though not without splitting or fusing whatever it actually hit), avoided, or Vezon may simply miss.
  • Its ability to fuse or split only works on objects and the biomechanical organisms native to Vezon's universe. This is a canon stipulation and not a nerf of my own, though I assume the alternative is a no-go in any case.

• Cape. A tattered black cape scrounged on his way to the Ignika.

• Chain. A length of chain currently used to steer Fenrakk, as a makeshift rein.

Territory/Followers: Voya Nui

Name of the Territory: Voya Nui, aka the 'Daggers of Death', aka the 'Island of Doom', aka 'Great Voyage', as its name roughly translates to in the Matoran language.

Universe of Origin: BIONICLE

Description: Labelled map.◊ A small crescent-shaped volcanic island floating on the ocean's surface, around 25 miles in length from north to south. Its exterior shores are covered in ice, with a ring of forest and an interior consisting of rocky desert. At its very center is an active volcano that drains into the ocean.

Once a part of the internal environment of the space exploration robot Mata Nui's massive body (specifically, the place where the Mask of Life was held), Voya Nui was jettisoned when Mata Nui was struck down by the machinations of the villainous Makuta, and came to rest on the surface of the ocean planet on which Mata Nui fell. Marked by treacherous landscape, beset by hazardous weather, earthquakes, volcanic activity, and dangerous wildlife, its Matoran inhabitants are tougher than most, used to scrounging and foraging to survive.

This represents a period in canon shortly before the villainous Piraka arrived and established a base in their search for the Mask of Life.

Contents/Locations:

• The Ring of Ice◊, the treacherous outer shoreline of the island, covered in jagged ice. The surrounding ocean is also dotted with floes and small icebergs that make boat travel difficult.

• The Lagoon Entrance to the east, a narrow gap in the crescent which provides the safest sea access through to the Voya Nui Bay and, if one follows along the inner coast, the Cliff Village.
  • A small Matoran fortress was built nearby to monitor this entrance, though it is functionally abandoned, rarely being occupied.

• Voya Nui Bay, the center of the crescent, beset by dangerously strong currents.

• The Green Belt◊, a band of inexplicably dense forest further inland, implied to be sustained by the Mask of Life's power. The island's Matoran avoid the denser regions for the dangerous Rahi known to live there.
  • The Cliff Village◊ toward the eastern side of the island near the inner coast, where the Matoran dwell. The last and only large settlement on the island, it sits nestled amidst rocky cliff faces that serve as defensive walls.

  • The Cavern of Historical Records toward the west of Mount Valmai, containing stone tablets detailing the island's history and its residents. Its remote location serves to protect its contents from prospective thieves.

  • The entrance to the 777 Stairs is located to the southwest of Mount Valmai, hidden within the Green Belt beneath an illusory rock wall.

• The Desert of Sorrows◊, a rocky desert dominating the island's interior.

• The Nui Caves, a network of caves beneath the island's surface.

• Mount Valmai◊ and the Lake of Lava within its crater, situated at the island's center.

• The 777 Stairs, a winding tunnel staircase leading down to the chamber where the Ignika is held.
  • Some ways down, the path splits in two and one branch is sealed off depending on the intent of those traveling down the staircase, and whether they desire the mask for selfish (right) or selfless (left) reasons.
    • If the group or individual is mixed on intent, or doesn't really have any concrete goal in mind, the selfless path will be the default.

  • On both paths is the Zone of Nightmares, a region of steps where those seeking the Ignika are subjected to realistic, tangible illusions of the beings or things that they fear most. Fighting these illusions is fruitless, and they will only be dispelled if the travelers overcome their fear and choose to push forward.

  • On the selfless path is the Chamber of Death, where travelers must choose one of their own to sacrifice in order to proceed. This chosen one is then disintegrated but restored to life, fully intact, shortly afterwards. This tests willingness to make sacrifices.

  • Last on the selfless path and just before the paths converge again is Umbra's Chamber, where the mask's namesake guardian sits.
    • Also occupying this chamber are a pack of Protodax◊, formerly common microscopic creatures known as Protodites that have been enlarged many times their original size by the power of the Ignika. They are vicious towards all other life, and can divide themselves into two equal organisms when physically struck hard enough.

    • The Protodax possess sharp claws and teeth, but no other powers or abilities beyond the dividing and what is typical for biomechanical beings from their universe (i.e. strength and durability).

    • Umbra generally allows the Protodax to handle whatever animals or other aimless wanderers manage to venture down this far, but he himself steps in to challenge those purposely seeking the mask.

  • Last on the selfish path is the Test of Trust, where a set of near-impervious stone cylinders appear around the travelers. Each cylinder contains a single lever and no exit, and the recorded voice of a Great Being explains that if each member of the group flips their levers in unison, they will all be freed, but if one flips their lever out of turn, they alone would be freed while the others would be killed.
    • The last part is a lie; if one member attempts to betray their comrades and flips their own lever, the whole party will be dumped into a liquid protodermis-flooded chamber below, where they are prevented from flying back up and out by a fiery barrier (which also begins to boil the water after a short time). At the bottom of this chamber is a winding tunnel that exits out into the Lava Chamber Gate. As the group progresses, the tunnel closes off behind its last member.

    • Lone travelers, if they make it this far, are not subject to this test and are instead dumped directly into the flooded chamber as a sort of booby trap.

  • The paths converge at the Lava Chamber Gate, an underground plain of hardened magma divided by a river of lava, across which sits a bridge leading to the gated entrance of the Chamber of Life.

  • The Chamber of Life, situated directly beneath Mount Valmai. A large chamber ringed with lava, at its center is a pedestal where the Mask of Life sits... or it would, if it didn't already have a guardian in the form of Vezon, who now occupies the chamber.

  • Attempting to bypass the stairs and merely digging directly to the Chamber from the surface is ill-advised thanks to incredibly durable bedrock as well as active volcanism rendering tunneling dangerous.

Specialties:

Like everything in Mata Nui's internal world (Hewkii included, it must be noted, though it wasn't relevant in his case) the island and its inhabitants are composed of Protodermis, a synthetic substance that can take on the properties of a variety of different materials, even organic tissue, depending on how it's worked.

• The Rock-like Protodermis that makes up much of the island can be refined into steel-like Metallic Protodermis, which is what its inhabitants are primarily composed of, as well as a far stronger variant known as Protosteel.

• Likewise for water-like Liquid Protodermis, though much of what you might find on Voya Nui has been diluted by H2O rain and seawater. It appears translucent and silvery, behaving much like regular water, and can be refined into Purified Liquid Protodermis, which itself can be used to create Kanoka disks possessing a variety of powers that activate when the disk strikes an object.
  • From Kanoka, Kanohi (see Hewkii's signup) can be forged, though this might be of somewhat limited utility to other lands given that non-BIONICLE beings cannot use them.

  • Heating Liquid Protodermis or its purified variant produces Molten Protodermis (of the sort found in Mount Valmai) which can itself be cooled into either Metallic Protodermis or Rock-like Protodermis. Kanoka are created from the former.

• Each variant can be worked or forged into any other variant, though with the exception of the examples mentioned above, canon isn't clear on how this might be done. One could probably make something up.

Population:

The inhabitants of Voya Nui are biomechanical organisms (see Hewkii's signup) ranging from its indigenous Matoran people, numbering a few hundred or so, to an assortment of animalistic Rahi, as well as the Mask of Life's guardians.

• The Matoran are small but resilient, with this particular population adapted to a hardscrabble existence, foraging and hunting for their food. Clocking in at around 3-4 feet tall and about as strong as a particularly athletic human, they possess no powers beyond minor affinities related to their element, e.g. Ta-Matoran (Fire) are resistant to heat, Ga-Matoran (Water) are natural swimmers, etc. They also require Kanohi masks to function—if their masks are removed, they are drastically weakened and will eventually fall comatose. They cannot use the powers of Great (i.e. powered) masks the way Toa can, and as such the masks they wear are generally powerless and serve only to sustain them.
  • The Matoran of Voya Nui possess an odd, ramshackle appearance, being smaller and weaker than average. Before they lived on Voya Nui, they were all injured or damaged in one way or another, and were sent from their respective homelands to the realm of Karzahni to be repaired by its namesake ruler, who turned out to be quite unhinged and did a very poor job repairing them, compensating by giving them weapons and tools and sending them to live in a desolate wasteland to hide his failure.

  • The aforementioned weapons they wield each possess one of any number of powers, from merely being incredibly sharp, to sending out destructive sound waves when clanged together, to reflecting the force of enemy attacks back at them. These weapons are generally wielded in pairs.

• The Rahi are equivalent to wildlife in Mata Nui's internal environment, most of them having been created to either sustain the artificial ecosystem or guard places that Matoran ought not go. A handful of species have scraped out an existence on Voya Nui, and these include but are not necessarily limited to:
  • Kikanolo◊ are horned, intelligent herbivores resembling some intersection of rhino, kangaroo, and theropod dinosaur, large enough for a Toa-sized humanoid being to ride comfortably. Traveling in social herds and usually gentle, they are nevertheless quite strong and possess a Sonic Roar to disorient and repel predators when the threat of stampeding doesn't work. Found primarily in the desert and more open grassy regions of the Green Belt.

  • Doom Vipers◊ are large, highly aggressive, six-headed serpentlike Rahi with incredibly toxic breath.

  • Fenrakk Spawn◊ are large, spider-like Rahi just large enough to be ridden by a humanoid the size of a Toa. They are incredibly strong and possess acidic saliva.
    • The pictured example isn't wholly accurate to canon—they are far smaller relative to the Toa shown riding it and do not naturally possess weapons platforms.

  • Dagger Spiders◊ are three-foot-long spider-like Rahi known to swarm up from cracks in the ground in vast numbers. They do not possess a venomous bite, rather injecting their venom through their bladelike front legs. Found primarily in the Green Belt.
    • This venom is not lethal to the healthy, but nevertheless causes severe pain, nausea, and muscle spasms lasting for several days.

  • Shore Turtles◊, slow, harmless turtle-like Rahi capable of flight. Found primarily in the Green Belt.

  • Lava Hawks◊, bird-like Rahi that favor volcanic regions. Completely impervious to the heat, they feed on smaller Rahi that live in and around lava.

  • Kofo-Jaga◊, small foot-long scorpion-like Rahi attracted to heat, afraid of light and generally staying underground. They possess razor-sharp pincers and non-venomous bladed stingers.

  • Hikaki◊, small three-foot-tall dragon-like Rahi found in and near lava, with nests that they defend fiercely.

  • Manutri◊, five-foot-tall flightless penguin-like Rahi primarily found on the Ring of Ice.
    • Pictured example is a modified specimen. They ordinarily lack the shoulder-mounted Cordak blasters.

  • Ussal◊, terrestrial crab-like Rahi large enough for Matoran to ride. As such, many have been domesticated and used as beasts of burden. They are adept at digging and burrowing, and are thus often found underground but can be anywhere.

• Also inhabiting Voya Nui are a contingent of Zyglak◊, 9-foot-tall (though generally slouched) intelligent, amphibious reptilian creatures dwelling in the deepest, darkest of the island's caverns. They were born as a byproduct of the process that created the first Matoran and were shunned by the Great Beings, left without purpose or place, hating all living things—especially those tied to Mata Nui in some way—as a result.
  • Possess sharp teeth and claws on their hands and feet.

  • Noticeably stronger than Toa, though not by a massive margin.

  • Highly resistant to elemental attacks such as those wielded by Toa, though not entirely immune.

  • Their scaly biological components carry a flesh-eating disease that in-canon explicitly only affects organic protodermis, but in this instance may affect carbon-based flesh as well, albeit not as virulent.
    • Modern medicine and/or healing magic can fight this off, but it can very much be fatal if left to spread across the body and fester.

    • Can only spread from the Zyglak themselves (who are immune to its effects), and not from its victims.

  • Some may escape out into the ocean beneath the island and wander from there, favoring dark, remote places.

Like all artistic creations big and small, Mr. Scratch was born from an idea—an idea that the world-famous author Alan Wake had a violent and sadistic side he kept tucked away from the public. After all, he made a very good living off of writing murder novels; you have to be some sort of sadist to come up with those graphic descriptions, right? Wake's destructive streak at parties (fueled by heavy drinking) didn't stop the rumors from spreading, either. More speculation followed after his latest murder mystery novel killed off his long-standing protagonist Alex Casey. Was Wake done writing from a detective's point of view?

And then, up in a quiet Washington town called Bright Falls, news spread that Alan Wake was wanted for the supposed murder of his wife Alice. Wake was on the run. An agent from the FBI had arrived in Bright Falls to take charge of the investigation, but was never heard from again. Local hunters, lumberjacks, tourists, civilians, even police officers started disappearing left and right, with the only common denominator being sightings of Alan Wake. In a week, the town of Bright Falls had gone from a charming rural town to a half-ravaged war zone; an obliterated therapy center (where Wake had supposedly visited) and a crashed police helicopter (which Wake had supposedly ridden in) were just two examples of the property damages.

Alan Wake had disappeared. No body, no tracks, no making sense from his wife or his manager's accounts of what happened, the world-famous author just vanished into thin air. That's when the rumors spread like wildfire. Wake had finally snapped! He went on a crazy killing spree, murdered dozens of people one by one just for kicks!

Over the course of two years, the rumors died off with a series of statements from the Bright Falls sheriff: Sarah Breaker. Drunken and disorderly conduct was the cause of a substantial amount of the property damage, as were a collection of bad weather conditions and natural disasters. Alan Wake had not been found, but was presumed dead; it was possible that he drowned in the unfathomably deep Cauldron Lake, which bordered Bright Falls.

Breaker's flood of cover-ups and half-truths ultimately brought a sense of normalcy back to the quiet mountain town, but they couldn't undo the fabrication. The image of the successful, charismatic, world-famous author/psychopath Alan Wake had been given life, engendered from the Dark Presence within the depths of Cauldron Lake. As the author fumbled through the Dark Place in the desperate hopes of finding a way home, his doppelganger emerged to breathe new life into the rumors. Mr. Scratch was born, and was eager to wreak havoc on the world of light.

As Breaker strove to clear the air in Bright Falls, Mr. Scratch made low-key appearances around the world as Alan Wake. He enjoyed the night life of a rich and successful hedonist, always calculating where he could show his face with minimal publicity. He'd bring young women back to his hotel room, have his fun, and from time to time indulge himself in the rush of slitting their throats. Mr. Scratch kept a close eye on Wake's friends, but never approached them out in the open. He allowed Alice a few half-glances of his face, just to tease the thought that her loving but flawed husband hadn't sacrificed himself to save her from the Darkness. Scratch counted down the days to the moment he could truly step forward as Alan Wake...but he needed to get rid of the buzzkill writer first.

Scratch chose to kill Wake through a sadistic exercise of futility. The evil twin designed a maze for his counterpart to run through; one that would loop him back to the beginning every time he reached Scratch at the end. The plan was to make every repetition of the maze more difficult than the last, until Wake finally ran out of energy and ammunition. It was an ingenious war of attrition...one that would've worked if only the puppet master hadn't been swept away to an entirely different world.

Now cut-off from his prey and standing on the edge of a gloomy metropolis, Mr. Scratch ventured through the dark streets of Gotham to try and get his bearings. And "try" he did, though it didn't take long for him to realize that he was in the secret tenth circle of Hell reserved solely for characters in crossover R Ps. Overwhelmed by the sudden realization that he was stranded in a city literally straight out of a comic book, Mr. Scratch strolled into the Falcone Casino to get absolutely plastered.

Unfortunately for Scratch, the casino had just fallen under new management, and she had the oversized hammer and dead Falcone goons to prove it. This large and menacing turtle-shelled hottie threatened to kick Scratch to the curb, but not before he got three or four shots of "free" bourbon from the unoccupied open bar, and a few other murderhobos had strolled in to join him. Among Scratch's three new drinking buddies was one Wulfrik the Wanderer, who found the suave and well-dressed man at the bar rather dull and unworthy of facing in combat. Plus he talked too much.

Once the crowned Koopa Queen ordered Scratch and his freeloading buddies to scram, the drunk creature of Darkness wisely told her to sod off. A fight ensued in which Scratch largely stayed in the sidelines while his new demonic buddy Marx went toe-to-toe against new casino owner's second-in-command. Using a temporary power outage inside the casino, Scratch was able to provide Marx some support, and managed to keep the Koopa Queen's other lackey busy for a while. Though even while buzzed, Scratch was sharp enough to recognize that he wouldn't stay in his element forever. Eventually, Scratch called for a truce, but not before he managed to realize that this woman was from the same world as a certain famous Italian plumber. As he and Marx left the soon-to-be-christened Koopa Kasino, Scratch walked down the street with a smirk on his face. He'd gotten a clue about what work of art this scalely lady came from, and felt confident that he'd use that to get the upper hand against her.

Many years later, Mr. Scratch would finally connect the dots that this "Bowsette" was a gender-flipped rendition of Bowser, probably created by the Internet. The discovery that he is on existential equal-footing with a meme still haunts him to this day.

Marx and Scratch soon parted ways, leaving the creature of Darkness to patrol the city and eventually stumble into yet another group of Outsiders storming the turf of a Gotham criminal: this time the abandoned courthouse occupied by Two Face and his goons. Arriving way too late to help with the fighting, Scratch managed to make himself useful by examining the graphic scene the Outsiders discovered in Two Face's office. Seemed as though the Gotham Rogue had dealt the ultimate judgement on himself before anyone else got the chance...the key words being "seemed as though". While far from conclusive, Scratch suggested that this warm body was just a decoy.

Why would he think that? Why, he knew a lot about killing and corpses! Just for writing murder mystery novels, of course. He also mentioned his genre-savvy knowledge about these supervillains always coming back, but lied about his sources so it'd be an easier pill to swallow.

Amidst this little excursion, Mr. Scratch met the being who would become one of his closest friends—even if they could rarely interact, to keep up appearences. That night, Mr. Scratch and Barry the Chopper painted the town red...in a slightly more literal sense than the idiom intends. But since they chose to target the looters and thugs of the now crime-rampant city, few witnesses took much heed. Besides, it's not like they were the only vigilantes on the prowl that night. Or the most dangerous.

Months passed, and Mr. Scratch greased enough palms to buy himself a little piece of Gotham. Now head of the city's electric grid, Scratch used his semi-regular indulgences in his "hobby" to recruit the lowly criminals of Gotham into his service—whether they wanted to or not. With about a dozen Taken hiding in the tunnels beneath the city, and a dozen more protecting the shaded paths leading to the Dark Place, Scratch had successfully planted his roots in Gotham—just in time for the current Mayor to be assassinated by the Joker, calling in a new election!

Among the (Gotham native and Outsider) candidates was a Herculean Paragon named Cody Travers, an ex-convict with big biceps and even bigger dreams for the city. Scratch was quick to join the young candidate's team and serve as his Chief Adviser, judging that the Street Fighter's brand had the best bet of turning the city around—and keeping the other incoming paragons off of Scratch's back.

A colorful band of other Outsiders soon joined the campaign, including a man named Henry Arkeville who offered his services as Travers' Assistant Mayor. For his part, Scratch found Arkeville as interesting as Wulfrik once found Scratch—only this walking carboard cut-out didn't even dress to impress. His aura of boredom was almost like a form of hypnosis. Turning to the more interesting members of the team, Scratch quickly took a liking to Velvet Crowe, or "The Maneater" as the local press was beginning to call her. The newly-appointed Adviser even found himself in the...tolerant graces of Bowsette, who held a vested interest in having another Outsider in the mayoral office. With a few leads on how to get the word out to Vote for Travers, Scratch and a few others got to work cleaning up the city.

Job #1: Kill the Joker.

...Scratch neglected to tell Travers that was part of his "cleaning up the city" plan. The less the Boy Scout knew, the better! With Velvet's help, Scratch was able to infiltrate Amusement Mile, break into the clown's broadcasting station, and send a message out to the city. The "anonymous" message was simple enough: the Joker was about to die, and the law-abiding citizens of Gotham need not fear the rise of a new King of Crime. An unnamed band of Gotham and Outsider vigilantes would take up the Batman's mantel, and protect the city from the shadows. The message had some immediate effect on some—among them a certain criminal mastermind named Junko Enoshima—but the bigger impact was delivered by those who weren't on the microphone. A few minutes after that message aired, the Joker took his final breath.

Cody Travers won the election, and Mr. Scratch found himself at the right hand of the Mayor of Gotham. Unfortunately, the following months proved that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Rather than Gotham Rogues running amok, a triumphirate of Outsider ringleaders had emerged to challenge the uneasy peace Mayor Travers' governance had established. The ringleaders were the sadistic Junko Enoshima and her Monokuma Gang, the stupidly-named Decepticons and their elusive leader Starscream, and—of course—Bowsette and her minions/staff at the Koopa Kasino.

One day, Scratch was sent to speak to Bowsette on the mayor's behalf; her monarchial habits were pushing her territory out beyond just the casino's blocks, so convincing her to back off on "protecting" the surrounding neighborhoods was an important power-balancing measure. Scratch knew he couldn't face the Koopa Queen alone; not unless he wanted to be reduced to a scorch mark on the pavement. So he called Velvet and her Servant Astolfo for backup (who both turned up late) and crossed paths with a few Pathfinders to try and recruit their help.

Among the band of these coincidental visitors were a nascent space parasite who went by Samus Aran, a young aspiring Huntress named Pyrrha Nikhos, and a pint-sized noseless police officer named Krillin. Only the third of those three chose to back Scratch up for the confrontation; the others chose to rescue a woman named Reiko, who had been chosen as a test subject for the Frontiers' first space expedition (read: a death sentence). Eventually an agreement was struck, but not before the noseless martial artist flew into the sky to rescue someone who escaped the rocket to space and was plummeting to the ground. Real superhero shit—just don't let Krillin hear that.

Ever since the election, an itch of morbid curiosity had been aching at Mr. Scratch. He knew that he wasn't "real" in the same way people on his world was. He was the amalgamation of another person's cultural persona, but he was also something more concrete: he was a character in a manuscript, written by the same man on which his identity was based. He knew the manuscript was called Return, and that it contained not just a story, but a roadmap that his "old model" had drafted to make his escape out of the Dark Place. Mr. Scratch knew that there was an ending in-mind, even if he thwarted the old model before those pages could be put to paper. But even if he couldn't afford to let the miserable writer get what he wanted, Mr. Scratch found himself wondering: how does the story—his story—end?

It was in this self-reflective state that Mr. Scratch made a wish that would lead him down the path to his downfall: he wished for a complete copy of Return. To drive the nail into the coffin, he decided not to burn the thing. In a rare heart-to-"heart" conversation with Travers, the Street Fighter encouraged Scratch to keep the manuscript—if only to serve as a symbol that he wasn't who this "Alan Wake" guy wrote him out to be.

How could Scratch have known that the Assistant Mayor had been listening the entire time? How could Scratch have known that "Mr. Nobody" had the tools to break into his apartment, crack the hidden safe, and make off with the manuscript unnoticed? How could Scratch have known that there was more to Henry Arkeville than meets the eye?

The loss of Return threw Mr. Scratch into a low-key panic. The book not only portrayed his crimes and ultimate downfall, it described his abilities in-detail, including their weaknesses. By simply taking a heavily-stapled stack of paper, this theif could publish a "Killing Mr. Scratch for Dummies" book whenever they wanted, and for years Scratch invested everything he could into getting that manuscript back.

After a surprising cross with Kylo Ren^note the Sith Lord had managed to sniff out the Dark Place and had gotten himself trapped in it, Scratch recruited the First Order to scour the Frontiers for the manuscript. In exchange, the creature of Darkness would teach Ren the ways of the Dark Place, in the hopes it would strengthen the Sith Lord's connection to the Dark Side. Lot of gibberish from Scratch's point of view, but that hardly mattered if it meant Return was back in his hands.

Meanwhile, Scratch had a new neighboring kingdom to play diplomat with: the Kingdom of Amestris had finally decided to open its borders, and Mr. Scratch was among the first foreigners to enter this new territority. Intrigued by King Bradley's boast of state-funded alchemy, Scratch and his fellow Gothamite Vicki Vale (Scratch's new partner-in-crime Mystique in disguise) were escorted to the house of a prominent State Alchemist: Shou Tucker, a.k.a. the Life-Sewing Alchemist. Through a series of acute observations and pinpoint questions, the duo were able to squeeze the truth out of Shou regarding his famous breakthrough of creating a talking chimera. Scratch even managed to convince the struggling scientist to use a nameless harlot as the baseline for his next "breakthrough," rather than his own daughter^note not that Scratch was aware that's where Shou's mind was wandering. Talk about some low-hanging fruit for drama!

Using the information that Shou squealed under pressure, and a forgery State Alchemist watch provided by the Life-Sewing Alchemist, Scratch and Mystique made for the abandoned Fifth Laboratory. With a few ingenius moves, the duo found themselves in the tunnels beneath the lab, making several seasons-worth of progress in less than an afternoon. Which, as it turned out, was WAAAAAAAY too fast!!! After conning their way straight to Father, Scratch and Mystique found themselves immediately spotted for the intruders they were, and it was only Scratch's smooth-talking into a bargain that saved their necks: Scratch and Mystique would work with Amestris' military to prepare for The Promised Day, and in exchange Father would spare their lives. Mystique found herself paired with another shapeshifter, Envy, while Scratch was begrudingly tied to the long, long, long thread of Father's firstborn: Pride.

The arrangement with Amestris' true leader proved to be a deal with one too many devils. Between the First Order's less-than-discrete methods of searching, and the anonymous publication of a book supposedly written by Gotham's Chief Adviser to the mayor, too many threads started to snap apart. The description of Return's villain brought back old memories of the never-aging Chief Adviser, back when he and a jolly suit of armor went on a killing spree at the dawn of the Frontiers. The First Order's search was also riddled with clues about their prize, which connected even more unsettling dots. With suspicions rising, Father attempted to cut ties with a loose end. It was only through a clever use of Scratch's last Permit of Perpetuity that allowed the Chief Adviser to fend his captor off and escape.

But narrowly escaping with his life wasn't enough. The paragons had caught the trail, and this time no amount of smooth-talking was going to keep Scratch out of a well-lit cell, or worse. Far beyond the outskirts of Gotham City, Mr. Scratch made his final stand against the Do-Gooders he'd stomached working with for years: among them were Sergeant (Supercop) Krillin, Officer Arc Brunstud, and the bounty hunter now known as Dark Samus. At the head of their band was none other than Mayor Cody Travers himself, who tried one last time to convince his old friend to give himself up peacefully. The Mayor's words were answered with a knife slit across his throat, and a promise from Scratch that he would never let himself be trapped again.

The "battle" that ensued was part manhunt, part extermination of all the Taken Scratch had collected over the years. Using the labyrinthine canyons and crevices that surrounded the Dark Place's cave, Scratch was able to avoid detection while sending his minions to ambush the heroes over and over again. Seeking the sanctuary of the Dark Place, Scratch found someone waiting for him just outside the cave; a man who was arguably the last person Scratch expected to see:

Henry Arkeville.

In a dramatic confrontation, the Assistant Mayor revealed that he was one who stole Return all those years ago. He was also the one who sent the manuscript to the publishers once he spotted an opportunity to get rid of Scratch for good. He was responsible for taking the supports out from Scratch's house of cards, and why? Because Mr. Scratch had been a thorn in his side from Day One. Egging Travers into cleaning out the streets, cutting distribution routes, and rehabilitating convicts. Every time Arkeville tried to drag Gotham one step back, Scratch pushed Travers to bring the city two steps forward.

"And besides," Arkeville grinned, "messing with you fleshbags is so much fun!"

Suddenly, the Assistant Mayor transformed into...well, a Transformer! With a meniacal laugh, Starscream forced Scratch to flee into the safety of the Dark Place, before using his advanced Cybertronian weaponry to collapse the cave entrance. Despite his answer to the late Mayor of Gotham, Mr. Scratch found himself trapped once again; only this time, there was no hope of escape.

The heroes never found Mr. Scratch. Their pursuit of the Taken had led them far away from the scene of the crime, and with the fear that he fled the city entirely, the search continued into the rest of the Frontiers. No one saw or heard a trace of the Chief Adviser/serial killer since he disappeared in the arid fissures outside Gotham. By the time the mortal residents of the planet returned to their homeworlds, the hunt had been over for 9 years.

Now, with the sudden arrival of new terrain disrupting his rocky cage, Mr. Scratch can spot a gap in the airtight prison; an ironic light of hope for the creature of Darkness. He will seize this opportunity with desperate hands, and claw his way back to the surface. From there, he will venture through the Frontiers with a single goal in mind:

KILL STARSCREAM

• The Dark Place can turn fantasy into reality, but naturally, there's a catch: the more complex the desired result, the more likely the Dark Place will corrupt it. For example, the Dark Place cannot bring the dead back to life; instead, it will produce a lookalike creature of chaos that seeks to gain power by seizing creative minds. Essentially, if you're trying to revive the dead, you'll be making a creature similar to Mr. Scratch.

• Just because the complicated things are more likely to be corrupted, doesn't mean they will be. With practice and diligence, it is possible to learn how to manipulate the Dark Place with minimal side effects. One can create a car inside the Dark Place, a weapon to turn the tide of a turf-war, or even—theoretically—a portal back to one's homeworld. ^note  Well, no. But it could work in theory, and that's a big selling point.

• If an object is created poorly, the Dark Place will be compelled to "fill in the blanks." In terms of inanimate objects, this means the product can disappear if exposed to strong light, including sunlight. This fault could be used to the creator's advantage (i.e. buying something with "Leprechaun gold") but usually renders the object useless. If you can't use it everywhere, its worth plummets.

• Assuming it's a simple product that's composed correctly, objects created in the Dark Place work exactly like their real-world counterparts. Apples taste like apples, bullets shoot like bullets, gold bricks have the weight and value of gold bricks, etc. Assuming one has the means to transport it, objects created in the Dark Place can be taken anywhere on the map. Some objects will be subject to the GM's approval, and I will be discussing the likelihood of a successful product with the GM on a case-by-case basis.

• An act of creation must be isolated to a unique experience. Any attempt to repeat a creative process in the exact same way with the exact same inspiration will result in failure.

• Creating art takes time. Any attempt to utilize the Dark Place will take a minimum of one hour, which will include drafting/early sketches/meditation on what the artist should compose. This is an in-game condition to establish that characters need to sacrifice something (namely, their time) in order to get something in return.

• While it is possible to create multiple objects in one project, they demand more detail and precision to create correctly. The more things you want to make, the more likely it will result in failure. Depending on the object, the amount of time it takes to create the art piece may also be brought into consideration, as will the likelihood of its success.

• The Dark Place is capable of creating conventional weapons and firearms, but it cannot create super-weapons like MOA Bs, antimatter, or nukes. Harmless components of a super-weapon are possible, but the source of said weapon's destructive power (the refined uranium, the antimatter, etc.) is beyond the Dark Place's capabilities.

• The Dark Place cannot create magical objects. This can be explained in-game as a limitation to what's possible in the world of Alan Wake. Advanced science fiction objects are also impossible, since their components likely wouldn't exist on Earth (sorry, no lightsabers). Even reality-fluid places can't do everything.

• The Dark Place cannot create sources of light. That would be contrary to its very nature, so don't expect to make any flares or flash lights. Combustible material is completely possible, but not the source of said combustion; the Dark Place can make gunpowder, but it can't make a match to ignite it. There's some flexibility here, so I'll amend this rule if needed.

• Space is also a factor. The Dark Place is roughly 2,500 square feet and twenty feet high. Anything created within the Dark Place must be small enough to be held inside it, along with enough room for its occupants to come in and out.

• The Dark Place has no influence over the world at large, including the weather or people's cognition. It can't create a hurricane or make everyone hate a particular character.

• Regarding potential users: the artist seeking to use the Dark Place must have considerable skill in both composition and creative drafting of a piece of art. Amateurs (including unskilled and undisciplined children) will find nothing but failures. If your character doesn't have any artistic background (preferably noted in their profile, but concrete examples of creativity in-game will work too), then this is not going to work for them.

• Should your character decide that hiring artists is the easier option, be aware that the artist must be a willing participant. Use the carrot, not the stick. If an artist is worried about how many toes they’ll have if they fail to make art come to life, then they’ll never produce anything that can withstand the light of day.

• With the intrusion of Kylo Ren, it appears that the Dark Place is also capable of reflecting aspects of a character in an "Introspective Hall of Mirrors" kind of scenario. So long as one keeps their mind open to the Dark Place, it's possible replicate appearances—and to an extent, personalities—of a few individuals important to the artist. That said, none of these figures have mass, and are effectively useless fabrications of the artist's mind. Fun for Facing One's Demons, but nothing else.

• The Dark Place is within a cave tucked deep in the mountains North of Manhattan. The cave itself isn't visible from Manhattan, and is a thirty-minute uphill trek into the rocky terrain.

• Entering the Dark Place without a plan is a very very bad idea. It won't kill anyone, but since it feeds on creative energy, it won't let go of an artist without a fight. This struggle could be used as a fun introspective Hall of Mirrors trip that'll probably creating an unexpected product (maybe another servant to the Dark Presence, like Scratch), but I promise not to keep any noteworthy character in the Dark Place indefinitely.

• The Dark Place can neither spread nor diminish. Creating things does not make it grow or shrink, and it can't extend beyond the cave it calls home. Destroying it with light is all but impossible, but destroying the cave's entrance is certainly doable. Just don't expect Mr. Scratch to be happy about it.

• To stress a point that's made in Alan Wake's American Nightmare, Mr. Scratch is NOT a creator. He's a product of the Dark Place, and can therefore manipulate what's already within it, but he can't mold anything out of it. While others might be able to create weapons or useful tools out of the Dark Place, the only thing Scratch can do with it is move it around to let people safely in or out. A handy trick, but nothing that'll help the rest of the planet. For that, he needs to recruit some students...